Cowboys top-5 fantasy players
Owens might be one of the NFL's more controversial athletes, but he's also one of the best wide receivers ever to grace the gridiron. His presence has improved the fantasy value of almost every quarterback he's played with since 2000.
From Jeff Garcia to Donovan McNabb to Romo, Owens has been a statistical godsend. He's continued to prove that even in recent seasons, as 39 percent of Romo's touchdown passes from 2007-2008 went to Owens.
Now in Buffalo, Owens has even turned Trent Edwards into one of this season's top fantasy sleepers.
Roy E. Williams will now be asked to fill the void left by Owens. While he won't post Owens-like numbers, Williams is an athletic player with good hands and should post around 1,100 yards and seven to nine touchdowns. Jason Witten will also continue to play a major role, but the pass attack still won't be as potent without T.O. on the field.
In turn, Romo's level of production is certain to fall the same way it fell for Garcia and McNabb after Owens left.
The Cowboys also plan to run the ball more often in 2009. The return of Felix Jones from an injured toe gives the team another weapon in the backfield to pair with Marion Barber, who is expected to return to the "closer" role he thrived in from 2006-2007. In that time, Barber found the end zone 28 times -- that was the second-most among running backs behind LaDainian Tomlinson.
With Tashard Choice also in the mix, the Cowboys could have an "Earth, Wind and Fire" combination of their own to compare with the 2008 New York Giants, who boasted two 1,000-yard runners in Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward and a third option off the sidelines in Ahmad Bradshaw.
Romo will still have his share of huge stat lines and should finish with around 4,000 passing yards and 25 total touchodowns, so he remains a No. 1 fantasy quarterback. However, he's no longer on the same level as Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
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